Fill in the blanks with "a" or "an" for each picture.

The task is to fill in the blank spaces with either "a" or "an", depending on whether the word following the article begins with a consonant sound or a vowel sound. Here's how to determine which article to use:

- Use "a" before words that start with a consonant sound.
- Use "an" before words that start with a vowel sound.

Solution:

1. Ant: "Ant" starts with a vowel sound (/æ/), so use an.
- An ant

2. Table: "Table" starts with a consonant sound (/t/), so use a.
- A table

3. Car: "Car" starts with a consonant sound (/k/), so use a.
- A car

4. Bulb: "Bulb" starts with a consonant sound (/b/), so use a.
- A bulb

5. Hen: "Hen" starts with a consonant sound (/h/), so use a.
- A hen

6. Ox: "Ox" starts with a consonant sound (/ɒ/), so use an.
- An ox

7. Elf: "Elf" starts with a consonant sound (/ɛ/), so use an.
- An elf

8. Nose: "Nose" starts with a consonant sound (/n/), so use a.
- A nose

9. Pot: "Pot" starts with a consonant sound (/p/), so use a.
- A pot

10. Bed: "Bed" starts with a consonant sound (/b/), so use a.
- A bed

11. Onion: "Onion" starts with a vowel sound (/ə/), so use an.
- An onion

12. Van: "Van" starts with a consonant sound (/v/), so use a.
- A van

Final Answer:

```
An ant | A table | A car
A bulb | A hen | An ox
An elf | A nose | A pot
A bed | An onion | A van
```

Explanation:

- The key is to focus on the sound of the first letter, not just the letter itself. For example, "ox" starts with a vowel sound, so it uses an, even though "o" is a vowel.
- Similarly, "elf" starts with a vowel sound, so it uses an, even though "e" is a vowel.

This exercise helps reinforce the rules for using indefinite articles in English.